Description: Formerly the Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company Building, the
block-long Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building has one of the most richly sculpted
façades in Philadelphia. Constructed of Indiana limestone highlighted with color
and gilding, its north and south pavilions are joined by a soaring, arched main entrance
facing the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a celebrated example of inspired urban planning of
which The Perelman Building was designed to be an integral part.

Architectural significance: Stylistically reflecting the period of transition from
early 20th-century historicism to the geometric Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s, The
Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973, and the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1980. It was built to house the
Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company, which occupied the building until 1972. The main
sculptural elements include Egyptian-inspired flora and fauna symbolizing attributes of
insurance: the owl of wisdom, the dog of fidelity, the pelican of charity, the possum of
protection, and the squirrel of frugality. Many of its outstanding decorative features were
designed by the leading architectural sculptor of the 1920s, Lee Lawrie, whose work also
adorns such notable American buildings as Rockefeller Center in New York City, and the
Library of Congress and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.

Location: The Perelman Building is located at 25th Street and the Benjamin Franklin
Parkway, just across the street from the Museum's main building. It occupies a trapezoid-
shaped site bordered by Pennsylvania Avenue, 25th Street, Fairmount Avenue, and 26th Street.

Interior Space: 100,000 square feet

Site: Two acres

Built: 1926-8

Architects: The Perelman Building was designed by Zantzinger, Borie and Medary who,
along with the firm of Horace Trumbauer, also designed the Museum's original structure,
which was completed in 1928. Leon Solon, the scholar who had advised the Philadelphia Museum
of Art on the color scheme of its celebrated glazed terracotta decoration and pediment, also
served as color advisor for The Perelman Building. In 1982-3, the building was restored by
John Milner Associates and David Beck Architects for the Reliance Standard Life Insurance
Company Building.

Current ownership and administration: Like the main Museum building, the Rodin Museum,
and two historic houses in Fairmount Park--Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove--The Perelman
Building is now owned by the City of Philadelphia, and will be administered by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman: Residents of Center City and collectors of modern art,
Mr. and Mrs. Perelman have long been deeply involved in philanthropic causes at the local
and national level. A Philadelphia-born industrialist and entrepreneur, Mr. Perelman has
been a Trustee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1975, a Vice Chairman since 1992,
and Chairman since 1997. The Perelmans were founding members of the Museum Associates in
1969.

On January 21, 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Perelman, who have been key advocates of the Museum's
longstanding need for expansion, announced their unprecedented gift of $15 million to the
Museum. It was the largest unrestricted monetary gift from an individual in the Museum's
history.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is Philadelphia's art museum. We are a landmark building. A world-renowned collection. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art phone at
215-684-7860, by fax at 215-235-0050, or by e-mail at pressroom@philamuseum.org. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26th Street. For general information, call (215) 763-8100.